53 Tasting Notes
QAing tea is great. I had to make sure my ratios scaled up to blending a larger batch, so it’s a been a fun Saturday morning (no sarcasm, I promise!)
I really like my pumpkin spice teas to have a pumpkin taste to them, so that’s really what I tried to do here.
The initial taste is the pumpkin spice trifecta: cinnamon, clove and a touch of nutmeg with a satisfying punch of black tea. The pumpkin really steps out after the cup cools for 5-10 minutes (which is easy, because I’m great at forgetting my cups, everywhere). The finish is crisp with a lingering of pumpkin.
Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!
Preparation
I’m alive and still reviewing! I promise.
I just got married on the 20th, so it’s taken me a while to get back in the swing of everything. It was kind of like the heading to the final frontier of a seven year relationship, hah!
I’m up in the air on this tea. It’s very sweet and has a lot of sugar/candy flavor is quite strong. So is the pu-erh, though. And I’m not quite sure I like them together as much as I thought I might. It’s like two very dense heavy flavors fighting for dominance. I think I would have preferred the toffee to be more buttery with some nuttiness to balance the cup better.
Preparation
This is easily the first Simpson & Vail tea I’ve had that I like. It’s also the first one that tastes anything like it’s name to me.
The dominating note here is a strong almond flavor note. It’s definitely an almond extract type flavor, so if you’re not a fan of it I’d steer clear. The base is light, not entirely devoid of flavor, but mostly unremarkable. It is a smooth cup with no astringency, though and satisfying for what it is.
Preparation
This tea makes the happiest matcha latte ever. Especially if you’re a loser like me and have Pumpkin Spice flavored sweeteners too. I went with the standard level of flavoring, so I was afraid it might need a little coaxing out, but it honestly didn’t need much help.
The sweet, creaminess of the pumpkin flavoring captured the sweet custard pumpkin flavor in the pie and pairs really well with the creaminess of a latte, and the cinnamon and clove notes are given a bit of oomph from a sweetener (especially one with a complimentary flavor profile), but are strong enough to seal the pumpkin pie illusion regardless.
Like usual, the matcha was solid and made a satisfying backdrop.
I don’t know how they keep doing it!
Preparation
If I’m honest, I’ve absolutely mangled steeping parameters on this tea a couple times. (Ever accidentally forget you heated the water to 200F for something else and then pour it on green tea. That moment, man.) But I’ve never actually had a bad cup of it.
I think it tastes best with a 90 second steep at 175F. The green base is vegetal and bright without being astringent, and there’s an underlying semi-sweet floral element in the aftertaste. I don’t know if I read the yuzu as strictly yuzu, but it’s a bright orange/lemon hybrid citrus note, that pairs well with the rest of the cup.
Perfect for sunshine and spring days.
Preparation
In short, meh.
Expanding from there, there’s a subtle carob-y like chocolate flavor that dominates the cup, with strong, sweet cloying strawberry mixed in. And while I don’t pick up any spice notes, and it doesn’t remind me of mexican hot chocolate or anything of that sort, it’s not actually a horrible sip. The aftertaste is unfortunately artificial and leaves a film on the roof of my mouth.
Sounds quite interesting!